Mediator Mom
by ChocolateEclar
Summary: (Sequel to Timeout)I’m the Mediator Mom. You know, like a Soccer Mom, but for 5 mediator kids. In the events that come with this new “job,” while everything seems relatively calm, my kids become involved in a deadly hunt against Paul...for their liv
1. Prologue: A Day in the Life

**Mediator Mom******

**By: ChocolateEclar**

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that has to do with the Mediator Series by Meg Cabot/Jenny Carroll, including Jesse (no fair), Suze, Paul, Father D, CeeCee, Adam, etc.

Claimer: I fully own Carmen "Carmenita" De Silva, Rosalinda "Rosie" De Silva and her pets, Tobias "Toby" De Silva, Jacob "Jaco" De Silva and his dog Hiei, and Dominique "Unique" De Silva. I also own the plot. I may not own the fact that Jesse has five sisters (ages 6-16 when he died), but I do own who the five girls are – i.e. their personalities and names. In short, I also own Juanita "Nita" De Silva, Estefana De Silva, Felicidad "Felly" De Silva, Dolores "Dolly" De Silva, and most of all Carmen De Silva.

A/N: This is the sequel to Timeout. Please read that story before this one. By the way, I will be using a bit of Spanish. Please let me know if I make any mistakes. This is for everyone who reviewed Timeout. Now…enjoy.

**Prologue: A Day in the Life******

"**_Ahhhhhhh!_**"

_Thump!_

I thought being a mother would be easier than being a mediator. I was wrong.

"Mamá! Papá! I think Toby broke his arm!"

See? This is so not easy. Some moms are "Soccer Moms." I am a "Mediator Mom."

Groaning, I rose from the black swivel chair in front of the computer in my bedroom and went out onto the landing of the staircase. Jesse followed, looking slightly amused at my grumbling. Note to self: Next time, he is going against the four hundred pound ghost that haunts the kids' bathroom. I do not want to hear Toby swearing at 1 AM because he can't pee in the bathroom next to his room.

Speaking of my oldest son, I spotted him nursing his right arm while he lay on the tile floor of the foyer below.

Carmenita was smirking faintly beside him. "_Tonto_," she teased in Spanish. Basic Translation: Fool.

"_Besa mi culo_," grumbled Toby. Basic Translation: Kiss my ass.

"Oh, the language of a couple of teenagers," I said, stepping down the stairs.

As both of them looked up guiltily, Jesse added, "What happened this time?"

"Toby decided to ride the banister and fell off," said Carmenita, green eyes glinting innocently.

"Only because you could do it," hissed Toby, standing up. He was taller than me, but not quite as tall as Jesse. He had green eyes like me, with Jesse's dark, crisp hair. All in all, I bet he was quite the catch at the Mission.

Yeah, Toby, Carmenita, and my other children – Rosalinda, Jacob, and Dominique – all went to the Junipero Serra Mission Academy. God, help ol' Father Dom. To think he had to put up with five demi-De Silvas at once. And all mediators at that.

Toby was only thirteen and tended to not look before he leaped – not usually literally. This incident was a perfect example. The eldest, Carmenita, was petite and tan like the previous Carmen Lucia De Silva, but with short coffee-colored hair. She was adorned in a pale pink tank top and a denim skirt that wrapped tightly around her hips.

"It was your own fault," she said. "You should be more careful."

"You know he wouldn't have done it if you had not, Carmenita," said Rosie wisely. She was in the doorway of the kitchen that led off the foyer. A faint grin crept to my face at the sight of her companion – a little dead dog. I'm serious too. Rosie is an odd mediator. She specializes in helping deceased animals. The little dog standing at her heel was a small German Shepherd puppy with a pure black coat and strangely bright blue eyes. Its tail was wagging as it peered at us curiously.

Rosie – more often than not – made the dead animals her pets instead of helping them move on. I'm pretty sure she has atleast ten other such dead pets hidden in her room. Atleast I don't have to feed them. Jacob – nicknamed Jaco – has a dog named Hiei – after his favorite male anime character – that won't go near Rosie's room.

Rosie herself was as tall as Carmenita with a fairer complexion and black eyes behind circle-framed glasses. She was showing less skin than Carmenita – she was wearing a black shirt with bold white letters that proclaimed her a "**WHIZ KID**." At the age of fifteen, Rosie was a regular Doc – like my youngest stepbrother.

"Let me see your arm," Jesse said to Toby who lifted it towards him. "Well, it's not broken."

"You'll have a nasty black and blue mark though," I said.

Toby shrugged and went to get ice from the kitchen. Carmenita traveled up the staircase and to her room. A shriek followed.

"Holy Jeez! Who died?" Jaco yelped, poking his bleached head around the corner of the living room doorway. He was very tan with spiky hair dyed blonde at the tips and dark eyes. He stepped into the foyer with his hands in the pockets of his baggy jeans and a black baseball hat backwards on his head.

Carmenita was rushing back down the stairs again. "Rosie!" she snarled. The puppy hid behind Rosie's legs, shivering. "That damn dog of yours destroyed my room!"

"What do you mean?" asked Rosie, picking up the pup.

"My curtains and half my magazines are torn and thrown around!" snapped Carmenita.

"Diana didn't do that!" riposted Rosie. "Some other ghost must've! I told you I thought there was one walking around the house at night besides the Bathroom Ghost!"

Before Carmenita could respond, I butted in. "Enough! Go back to your room, Carmenita," I ordered. "I'll help you clean up. Then, we'll go ghost hunting."

"Already got the ghost," said another child. We all gazed up at the landing of the stairs to see the youngest, tiny Dominique. Being yanked by her ear was a young ghost no older than my littlest daughter. Unique – as Jaco had dubbed her when she was two – had shoulder-length black hair and skin as pale as mine gets during the winter. Her eyes were very emerald-colored and she was wearing my old leather jacket that reached just above her little bare feet.

"Nice job," said Jaco, grinning.

Unique's face – as seemed its custom really – was very blank as she nodded in response.

"Why'd you wreck my room?" grumbled Carmenita to the ghost kid. She was slowly cooling off as she frowned at the ghost girl.

"Wanted to," proclaimed the ghost kid definitely. She was dressed in a pink dress and had little fair curls around her grimacing face.

Unique pursed her lips slightly in annoyance and squeezed the girl's ear more tightly. The ghost cried out and tried to break free to no avail. "I'll let you go if you move on," Unique offered.

It was a threat I had made myself a few times. Oh, my little girl is learning.

"Argh… Don't…wanna," said the ghost, struggling. _Squeeze_. "Ow! Okay!" gasped the ghost. She vanished.

Unique nodded to herself and looked right at Jesse and me. "How was that?"

Grinning, I said, "Your first mediation. Great job."

Jesse nodded and said meaningfully, "Carmenita…"

Rosie turned to Carmenita. "See? It wasn't my little Diana," she said.

"Yeah," Carmenita admitted. "Sorry."

Rosie shrugged. "No problem."

"Now that that's all settled," said Jaco, smirking, "who's up for some ice cream from the fridge to celebrate Unique's first mediation?"

All the others cried out, "Me!" at the same time – including Toby from the kitchen and Unique. I watched them look at Jesse for permission.

"Go ahead," I complied.

A mad rush to the kitchen followed, making me laugh even when Jesse, CeeCee, Adam, and I talked about it later.

Things are never dull around here. It's a given with seven mediators under one roof. As for me, I'm not the only shifter.

* * *

A/N: So, how is this so far? It's only the prologue though…

A/N 2: Chapter 1: An unexpected return… Review please! Bye!


	2. Return

**Mediator Mom******

**By: ChocolateEclar**

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that has to do with the Mediator Series by Meg Cabot/Jenny Carroll, including Jesse (no fair), Suze, Paul, Father D, CeeCee, Adam, etc.

Claimer: I fully own Shaun, Charisma, Carmen "Carmenita" De Silva, Rosalinda "Rosie" De Silva and her pets, Tobias "Toby" De Silva, Jacob "Jaco" De Silva and his dog Hiei, and Dominique "Unique" De Silva. I also own the plot. I may not own the fact that Jesse has five sisters (ages 6-16 when he died), but I do own who the five girls are – i.e. their personalities and names. In short, I also own Juanita "Nita" De Silva, Estefana De Silva, Felicidad "Felly" De Silva, Dolores "Dolly" De Silva, and most of all Carmen De Silva.

**Chapter 1: Return******

"And this is your mom when she was almost a year old."

"Mom," I groaned. "Why are you showing them my naked baby pictures?"

"But you were a very adorable baby, Susannah," teased Jesse from behind me. Scowling, I turned back to the five people on a red couch in the living room. Four were the oldest of my kids. The other: my mom – their grandma. Unique was nowhere to be found…but that was no surprise. She was probably in her room.

My mom held up the photo album for me to get a better look at the pictures. She pointed to a picture of me in a particularly ugly, frilly pink dress. Carmenita – who was sitting on the arm of a matching red chair Jaco was sitting on – made a face and mumbled, "Argh. Ick." Apparently, my mom didn't hear her. "I love this dress. I asked you if you wanted it at the baby shower for Carmenita, remember?"

"Yeah," I replied. "I didn't want it."

"Thank God," muttered Carmenita.

My stepdad Andy came in then behind Jesse with a plate of hot dogs fresh off the grill. "Who wants some?" he said, grinning. I snatched one right before a rush of grabbing hands swallowed up the whole plate.

"Let's go out in the yard," said Jesse, leading the way.

To my surprise, Unique was out behind the house sitting with David. Dopey and Sleepy were chucking Toby's old football back and forth. The football bounced off the swing set and was scooped up by Jaco. "I'll play," he said, smirking. Toby soon followed.

Jesse, Carmenita, Rosie, and I went to sit at the lawn table under an umbrella with Unique and Doc. They were talking about constellations. My stepbrother was talking about science with my eight-year-old! Jeez.

"I want to be an astronomer," admitted Unique. Her dangling feet didn't even touch the lawn from her spot on one of the coffee-colored lawn chairs. I didn't doubt her. She had a wild bright spark in her eyes.

It was then that the football went soaring at us. "Watch out!" shouted Jaco. Unique ducked as Jesse reached over her head to catch the ball. He tossed it back to Jaco who fumbled and missed the football. My eleven-year-old klutz.

Jaco was known for being clumsy. It was a rare occasion when he didn't knock a chair over or crash into something. He was too tall for his own good. What a sight he would be when he went chasing after girls…

A scary thought and one I wasn't prepared for yet. It was bad enough with three hormonal teenagers. Carmenita had a new boyfriend a week and Rosie had been pinning after Alex Bayman for two years. He was a senior at the Mission and had been Carmenita's third boyfriend. Very tall and brunette, I could see what Rosie liked, but also the simple fact that they had never said more than a handful of words to each other.

Carmenita assured Rosie atleast once a month that she would gladly "hook" Rosie up with Alex, but that he wasn't worth it. Considering her experience, I'd have to agree with Carmenita.

"Watch out!"

"Jaco!" yelled Unique. "You're going to kill one of us!"

* * *

"Mrs. De Silva, a call for you."

"Oh, thanks, Kate," I replied, taking the phone from my assistant at my fashion shop in Carmel. "Hello?" I said into the receiver, as I surveyed a navy blue halter-top and matching skirt.

"This is Mrs. Dack from the Junipero Serra Mission Academy."

"Oh," I grumbled. "Which one is it this time?"

"Oh, well," said Mrs. Dack, chuckling. "It's Jacob. He was unkind to Sister Ernestine and will be given detention after school today."

Oh gosh. When is that woman going to retire and leave my family alone?

"Fine. Is that all?" I asked, bored. I didn't blame Jaco when it came to Sister Ernestine. Does that make me a bad parent? Nah. I just have my priorities.

"Oh, let's see," Mrs. Dack mumbled, shifting through papers at her desk. "Oh, here's something else. Father Dominic would like to speak with you and your husband tonight."

"Alright. You can tell him we'll be there after work," I answered.

"That's it then," said Mrs. Dack. "Have a good day."

"You too."

I hung up and turned to Kate. "The outfit is too plain. Pair the top with the mini white one instead."

"Yes, ma'am."

* * *

"Good day, Jesse, Susannah," Father Dom greeted us in his office. I flopped down on one of the chairs in front of his desk and crossed my legs under my little denim skirt.

Jesse sat down much more politely beside me. "How are you, Father Dominic?" he asked.

"Very well – except for the occasional mediator child causing mischief," replied Father Dom good-naturedly. "Atleast none of them have destroyed any part of the school."

Grinning, I said, "Just wait. It'll come. There are five of them after all."

"Frightening thought," mumbled Father Dom.

"You didn't call us down here to talk about that, did you?" I asked.

"No," admitted Father D. "I wanted to let you know Paul Slater has contacted Dr. Slaski."

"What did Slater have to say?" asked Jesse darkly. I glanced at him. He was gripping the arms of the chair tightly and frowning. Even with him angry though, I couldn't help but think he was still hot.

"According to Dr. Slaski, Paul is moving back to Carmel," Father Dom said slowly.

"Why?" I grumbled while Jesse said, "_Nombre de Dios_."

"Apparently he believes it would be the best environment to raise his son."

Jesse and I sat very still for a moment. Then…

"What the heck?" I yelped – except I didn't say heck.

Jesse swore in Spanish and asked Father Dom, "How old is this son of Slater?"

"According to the papers Paul sent me this morning, the boy is sixteen," responded Father Dom, glancing at a sheet on his desk. "Shaun Michael Slater."

"Oh boy," I whispered. What was wrong with the world? Why wouldn't Paul Slater stay away from me? If he had a son though, that meant he was done with me, and…

…he had a wife or atleast some other girl in his life! Who would've thought? A Mrs. Paul Slater? He was in England for awhile. I supposed he could've met her there.

If I thought things were screwed up before, they just got much worse.

* * *

"Well, atleast now he's settled down," pointed out CeeCee over glasses of iced tea. She had one arm draped over her stomach, which was roughly the size of a watermelon. On the ring finger of that hand glinted her wedding ring from…Adam of course.

They already had a nine-year-old daughter named Charisma who was one of the best friends of Jaco and Unique at the Mission. She was a very athletic little girl who was as pale as CeeCee and liked to try to teach Jaco to grow out of his clumsiness. It was a very cute relationship really and one CeeCee and I encouraged. Hey, what's wrong with family friends' children marrying?

"Yeah," I agreed. "But now there's a new devil's spawn."

CeeCee thought on this, sipping her iced tea. "Maybe this Slater will be easier to handle. I wonder what kind of woman would be able to tame Paul though?"

Laughing, I replied, "She'd have to have a lot of patience."

"You think Paul's enough of a creep to go after some other girl named Susannah?" CeeCee asked, chuckling.

I grimaced and said, "You never know."

I rush of feet tramping through the foyer signaled the arrival of my little devils. Carmenita always drove them all to and from school in the old VW Bug Adam sold her. She would come flying through the house in front of the other four and change into jeans and a tank top. Then, she would be out the door again to hang with friends or her latest boyfriend. Today was different. Today was Shaun Slater's first day at the Mission.

Nothing would ever be the same again.

Unique was the first one to appear in the kitchen where CeeCee and I were sitting. "How was school?" I asked her.

Unique was wearing black shorts and a big black T-shirt that gave her a slightly gothic look with her very pale skin and ebony hair. "Carmenita asked your arch-enemy's son out on a date," stated Unique blankly. She smirked then and said amusedly, "He turned her down." Unique laughed as Carmenita, Jaco, and Toby appeared behind her. Carmenita was trying to be very calm, but failing with a grim frown. The other two were fighting to keep their laughter at bay.

I suppose I should've known the moment Carmenita would be turned down would come…and then anger her to no limit. My dear drama queen.

"Oh, come on, Diva," Jaco managed to say to Carmenita. "What was so great about that guy anyway?"

Carmenita let out a long breath and said, "He was hot, but nothing special." She stalked away then.

Jaco was right. She was a diva. I followed Carmenita anyway. She was in her room, angrily trying to apply mascara.

"Trust me," I told her. "You'll poke your eye if you put it on when you're pissed off."

Carmenita closed the tube of mascara and sat moodily down on her bed. I positioned myself beside her on her purple coverlet. "So," I said, "you met Shaun Slater."

"Yeah," grumbled Carmenita.

"What was he like?"

"Tall, blonde, good-looking…"

"Ah. Stereotypical surfer boy material," I said, grinning.

"He was kind of smug but wary at the same time," Carmenita commented after awhile. "When he turned me down, he told me he'd be seeing me around. All of us."

"Hmmm… 'Sounds like he has some of his father's qualities," I mumbled. I pictured a blonde Paul for a moment and made a face.

"Do you think he'll be totally like his dad?" Carmenita queried. I had told her and the other four stories of my being a mediator ever since before they could walk. They knew all about Paul.

"I don't know yet," I replied honestly. "He could be worse for all we can tell yet. Why don't you keep an eye on him? Make sure he doesn't cause trouble."

"After he shot me down?"

"Then make Toby or Jaco do it," I suggested.

Snickering, Carmenita nodded. "I can do that."

"You feel better now?" I questioned.

"Much."

Perhaps we had nothing to fear in Paul and his son.

* * *

A/N: Now, see that button down there? Click it and review, okay? Let me know what you think of this. Until next time. Bye.


	3. Unwelcome

**Mediator Mom******

**By: ChocolateEclar**

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that has to do with the Mediator Series by Meg Cabot/Jenny Carroll, including Jesse (no fair), Suze, Paul, Father D, CeeCee, Adam, etc.

Claimer: I fully own Shaun, Charisma, Carmen "Carmenita" De Silva, Rosalinda "Rosie" De Silva and her pets, Tobias "Toby" De Silva, Jacob "Jaco" De Silva and his dog Hiei, and Dominique "Unique" De Silva. I also own the plot. I may not own the fact that Jesse has five sisters (ages 6-16 when he died), but I do own who the five girls are – i.e. their personalities and names. In short, I also own Juanita "Nita" De Silva, Estefana De Silva, Felicidad "Felly" De Silva, Dolores "Dolly" De Silva, and most of all Carmen De Silva.

**To Clavel:** Yep, Paul's son. He'll play a key part in all this. As will Paul…and his wife. Hehe. Thanks for reviewing!

**To UnangelicHalo:** Mini Paulie? _(laughs)_ I wasn't so sure people were going to like Carmenita really. She's tough, but a bit preppy at times. She kicks serious butt in this chapter though.

I think I like Unique the best myself because she's so, well, unique. Pardon the pun. I like Rosie too though because she's a lot like me. _(laughs again) _Thanks for the review!

**To PoeticKiss:** Super interesting, huh? Thank you.

**To muzacgurl:** I like the kids too. Each is very different from each other, but still likeable in most instances. Thanks a bunch for the review!

**To SweetestReject, truly-haunted, & Luna Gypsy:** Thank you all for reviewing!

**To Esodes08:** Too many characters are giving ME the headache. _(laughs)_ When I was writing chapter 1, I kept forgetting a kid…which is why Toby is in the kitchen the whole time Unique does her first mediation.

You like Toby the best? Interesting. As I told UnangelicHalo, Unique is my fave for some reason. _(laughs again)_ Rosie is kind of like Doc. So is Unique for that matter, except she's more secretive about her "knowledge-gathering." Jaco isn't really that much like Jake, but I see what you mean. Maybe he will be eventually.

You'll find out who the shifters are soon enough… Thanks a bunch for reviewing!

**Chapter 2: Unwelcome******

You'd think with seven mediators living in the same house that one of them would be willing or capable to get rid of a four hundred pound ghost haunting one of their bathrooms.

But of course not. Carmenita's excuse is she's on the phone. Rosie's is she's doing her homework. Toby's defense is his arm hurts and he'll just get "pissed off" at the ghost. Jaco says he wouldn't stand a chance against a mammoth beast quadruple his girth…while Unique says she's already tried.

As for Jesse, well, let's just say he tried too. I saw him stalking out of the bathroom last week, grumbling Spanish curses.

So, that leaves me. _Lucky me._

Rolling up the sleeves of my black see-through sweater – I wore it over a white camisole – I hammered on the bathroom door. It was thrown inward by a huge tower of six feet of…ghostly substance – not flesh because our bathroom is not haunted by the living of course.

Glaring down at me from beady gray eyes and a head topped with blonde, was Warren, or – as he was dubbed by Unique – the Bathroom Ghost. Warren was wearing a black T-shirt that just barely stretched over his beer belly – a fact that slightly grossed me out.

Apparently, he had decided to haunt the bathroom of a bunch of mediators because he was angry over dying in a public restroom of a heart attack. Since we could see him, he could annoy us. Nice guy, huh? Not.

"Hey, Warren," I said, giving him a fake smile. "How's it going?"

"Do I look like I'm having a fun time?" snarled Warren. "Your brats keep bothering me."

"Well," I reasoned, "that comes of haunting their bathroom."

"Especially that Toby boy," continued Warren as if I hadn't spoken.

Jerk. Toby always has to go to the bathroom at night – don't ask me why. Maybe it's a guy thing. Anyway, the haunted bathroom is right next to his room, so one night he went in there with his eyes plastered close from being half-asleep, and the next thing I knew, he was swearing because Warren wouldn't let him use that bathroom. Toby tried a few more times to no avail, so now he uses my bathroom. It's attached to my bedroom, so to say I'm pleased by being awakened in the middle of the night to the peaceful sound of the TOILET FLUSHING would be an understatement.

But soon that will change. "Warren," I said, "you need to stop haunting this bathroom and move on to heaven or a new life or hell or purgatory or whatever."

"You're gonna make me?" threatened Warren, leering down at me.

"Yeah," I replied. And that's when I punched him in the chest. What? That was as high as I could reach. I'm no shorty, but this guy was enormous!

It's a bad thing when you find yourself being pinned to the floor by a four hundred pound ghost. Even worse when your own daughter just walked by you with headphones on completely oblivious to your plight!

"CARMENITA!" I screamed.

She turned her head to me and gasped. Pulling her headphones off, she shrieked, "Get off my mom, you bathroom freak!" It was then that Carmenita hauled off and punched the ghost bent over me. She got him right in the jaw, causing him to stumble off of me. Thank God too! I was getting crushed!

Meanwhile, Carmenita was giving Warren a piece of her mind. "You asshole, don't you dare make this seem like it's our fault! You choose our bathroom to haunt over moving on!"

_Wahoo! Go Carmenita!_

As Warren reached down to grab Carmenita's wrists, she dodged his hands and punched him in the gut. That's my girl. She took karate from when she was six to nine. I think it turned out for the best…

Warren went backwards and held up his hands in surrender. He vanished then, finally moving on.

"Nice punches," commented an amused voice from the foyer below. I scrambled to the railing and looked down at someone I hadn't seen in several years.

"Paul Slater," I groaned.

"We let ourselves in. The door was unlocked," Paul explained. Beside him was a very tall, blonde teenager, Shaun, and behind them was a pretty flaxen-haired woman with very bright blue eyes, Paul's wife/girlfriend/lover/or whatever. She was wearing a sleeveless green tee with white capris. Shaun was the one who had spoken about "Nice punches."

"It's been awhile, Suze," continued Paul, grinning. "I can tell that's your daughter."

Carmenita colored when she went to stand next to me and spotted Shaun. We all turned to the kitchen doorway as Rosie appeared. "Mamá? Where's – Oh, hi." She stared at the three Slaters before coming back to her senses and turning to Carmenita and I standing above on the landing. Rosie gave me a questioning look before saying to the three people, "The Slaters."

"Ah, another daughter. Any other children, Suze?," said Paul. "What? No 'hello?' No 'how are you?' No, of course not." He shrugged and grinned up at me.

"It doesn't matter to you, but I have five children, Paul," I replied impassively.

"Five?" gasped Paul, grinning. "I am impressed. Let me introduce my own, Shaun. And this is Delilah, my wife."

"It's a pleasure," I said dryly.

"He's not as bad as he was twenty years ago," claimed Delilah.

"We'll see," I replied.

It was then that Jesse came home. I could hear him coming up the front steps with Toby and Jaco. Where was Unique then?

The front door was opened by Toby, whose eyes went very wide as he saw the Slaters. "Pop," he called behind him. Jaco appeared then with Jesse.

I could see Jesse freeze, saw him look at me with confused eyes, before turning his gaze angrily on Paul. "Slater, why are you here?" he demanded, steering Jaco and Toby over to Rosie.

"Just stopping by, De Silva," replied Paul with a smirk. "My son goes to the Mission just like your five. Where is the fifth one anyway?"

"Leave, Slater," snapped Jesse. "You were not invited."

"Can't a guy get a second chance?" asked Paul laughingly.

"You had yours, Paul," I grumbled. "And a third and fourth and…"

"Okay, okay, I get it," Paul said. "We'll leave then. Be seeing you all."

As soon as they were gone, Unique appeared, seemingly out of nowhere for she snuck up behind Carmenita and I. We both jumped and swung around to see a faintly grinning eight-year-old.

"Where have you been?" I asked, smiling.

"Laying down," answered Unique. "My head hurts."

Before I could reply, Jaco called out dramatically, "Who's up for a little ice cream to soothe our nerves?"

"Jaco," teased Carmenita, "if you keep suggesting ice cream, we're all going to get fat because of you."

"Hasn't stopped me yet," Jaco replied, grinning.

* * *

"Jesse," I said, lying next to him in bed. He was reading some science book that would undoubtedly bore me to tears if I tried to read it.

He looked up, slipping the bookmark Unique had made him for Father's Day inside the hardback. The bookmark had one picture of each of the children and I in order of birth with silver sharpie squiggles twirling around each face. Unique had snuck into the main office at the Mission to laminate it all.

"Sister Ernestine almost got me," claimed Unique grandly on Father's Day, "but I slipped between the big file cabinet and the wall, and she walked right past me!"

Jesse peered at me, curiously. "_Querida_?" he asked.

"What do you think of Paul's son?"

"What is there to think?" Jesse inquired. "He said very little."

"Yeah, but do you think he'll be like Paul?" I asked.

"It's possible."

"Uh huh," I mumbled.

"I'm more concerned about Unique right now," Jesse commented after awhile.

"What?" I said. "Why?"

"She's been having more headaches lately than you think," was all Jesse would say.

"And?"

"And I don't want to worry you, Susannah," Jesse said, setting his book down on the nightstand.

"_Jesse…_"

"Susannah, you have told me the effect traveling to the Shadowland has, don't you see?" Jesse explained.

"She can't be…" I muttered. "It could just be she's prone to headaches," I suggested. Jesse gave me a long look so I added, sighing, "But probably not. I'll talk to her tomorrow."

"Good," said Jesse, nodding. He leaned over and kissed me then.

Will I ever get tired of his kisses?

Never.

* * *

A/N: Well, that chapter was written quickly. (That's because I stayed awake until 2 AM writing the beginning of it.) Don't forget to review now! Bye.


	4. Over a Boy

**Mediator Mom******

**By: ChocolateEclar**

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that has to do with the Mediator Series by Meg Cabot/Jenny Carroll, including Jesse (no fair), Suze, Paul, Father D, CeeCee, Adam, etc.

Claimer: I fully own Shaun, Charisma, Carmen "Carmenita" De Silva, Rosalinda "Rosie" De Silva and her pets, Tobias "Toby" De Silva, Jacob "Jaco" De Silva and his dog Hiei, and Dominique "Unique" De Silva. I also own the plot. I may not own the fact that Jesse has five sisters (ages 6-16 when he died), but I do own who the five girls are – i.e. their personalities and names. In short, I also own Juanita "Nita" De Silva, Estefana De Silva, Felicidad "Felly" De Silva, Dolores "Dolly" De Silva, and most of all Carmen De Silva.

**To UnangelicHalo: **I know what you mean. I only know of two people using Carmen so far. It's mildly angering me because I worked so hard to pick the names. Kori Suketchi e-mailed me and told me she got the name Carmen from Carmen Sandiego…not my story. She even asked if I wanted her to change the name, and, since she had talked to me honestly, I let her as long as I don't see any more similarities.

Seriously though people, there are a lot of possible names! Don't pick mine! _(points angrily to Claimer)_ I see any Nita's or Rosie's and I'm really going to get angry. Better yet, I see a Dominique (my fave kid) and I'll hunt the person down… Just kidding, _but why must people do this?_ It's stupid! I love my characters to death.

Sorry, that was bit of a rant. I'm glad you like Carmenita. Thanks for the review!

**To Luna Gypsy & ****Allima: **Thanks a bunch for reviewing!

**To Clavel:** You seem to have something nice to say about each of the kids but Toby. I'm curious, what do you think about him? As for Paul's wife, she's not what she seems… Hehe. Shaun is more important this chapter. We'll be seeing more of him as things heat up… Thanks for reviewing!

**To muzacgurl:** Have some ice cream. Hehe. Paul _is_ confusing, isn't he? Just wait until you see what his wife's capable of. Thanks for the review!

**To SweetestReject:** You're right. No one can. Hehe. Thank you for reviewing!

**To happydrummergal:** More of Delilah (aka "Della") coming up in the future. In the meantime, more of Shaun…Thanks again!

**To ****Enelya Tinuviel: **Yeah, go Carmenita! Hehe. I like the bathroom scene too. Thanks for the review!

**To Esodes08:** You'll find out who the shifters are soon enough. It may not be who you think though. Yeah, Carmen the II and Carmen(ita) the III _are_ very different. But it's to be expected with them being born in two totally different times.

It seems everyone has his or her own fave kid. I'm glad you like Toby. I'm sorry he only appears a bit in this chapter. Next chapter hopefully there will be more of him. Thanks for reviewing!

Disclaimer 2: I don't own the song _All American Girl_ by **Train**, okay? I just thought it would be something Carmenita would be singing. Hehe.

**Chapter 3: Over a Boy******

"_Tell me what it's like to be the house on the hill_," sang Carmenita a week later. She had on her blue headphones and was hopping down the staircase in a pajama set of yellow stars on a navy background.

"_The number one diet pill,  
And tell me what it's like to be the one and only,  
All American Girl!_"

"Hey, All American Girl!" shouted Toby into Carmenita ear. She jumped and glowered at him. Then, she stuck out her tongue and continued singing,

"_And I know you're not here to amuse me  
But you sure know how to confuse me  
So if I could just ask you once again!_"

Toby shrugged and went past her down the stairs.

"_To tell me what it's like to be a star on the rise,  
A breakfast cereal prize,  
And tell me what it's like to be the one and only,  
All American Girl!  
The All American Girl!  
The all amazing crazy girl!_"

"Thank you. Thank you, dear fans!" said Carmenita dramatically. She bowed and continued after Toby down the stairs. Both walked past – Toby rolling his eyes. I laughed and waited to see if I'd have to reawaken anyone for school. Jaco was already in the kitchen eating a banana. He was always a morning person – something I assumed he inherited from Jesse because it sure wasn't me.

Rosie appeared at the top of the stairs with Unique right behind. Rosie yawned and led the way down the steps with a little dead blue jay sitting on her shoulder – that I knew had hit one of our windows last week – and a deceased white rabbit in her arms. Rosie was wearing ebony boxers and a huge black shirt for pajamas that stated: _Do you make an effort to be an idiot…or is it a gift?_ (A/N: I have that shirt! Hehe.) Unique was wearing a huge T-shirt as well, hers a plain navy blue one.

"'Morning, Mamá," whispered Rosie sleepily. Her black hair was a frizzy halo around her head as she shuffled wearily past.

"_Buenos días_, Mamá," Unique said.

"Unique," I said. I waited until Rosie had gone into the kitchen before continuing.

"You've been going to the Shadowland, haven't you?"

Unique sheepishly looked up at me and nodded. "It's strange there. Kinda creepy, but cool."

Cool? The Shadowland? Well, this was my Unique.

"Don't go there anymore unless you have to," I said. "It's not good for you or anyone."

Unique pondered this for a moment before she smiled and said, "Okay, Mamá."

"Good," I said. But I wasn't so sure she was going to listen to me.

* * *

Jaco is known for not only being a klutz…but also getting himself hurt in the process. I have gotten more calls from the Mission about him breaking bones then him getting in trouble. And that's saying something.

This time he was hurt without it being the result of clumsiness. This time he was mediating a female ghost by the name of Alice. Alice was a very brawny ghost with black hair and a muscle shirt. No fat on her in sight. Jaco – machismo and all – decided to take her on with his tall, scrawny frame to back him up…in absolutely no way.

So, basically, he was doomed to lose from the start unless he did some quick thinking…which of course "quick thinking" tends not to come to "macho men." Take my stepbrother Brad as an example if you will.

Rosie says Jaco put up a good fight, but was too cocky to allow her to help him at first. This all occurred in the cemetery adjacent to the Mission – where Jaco had followed Rosie to after she had slunk out there at the end of the school day.

You won't believe why Rosie had been out there though. I certainly have trouble believing it.

But back to Jaco's "epic battle" with Alice. In laymen's terms, Shaun Slater arrived in time to save Jaco's butt. Jaco had a black-and-blue eye and a broken arm by then, while Rosie – in trying to defend Jaco now that he was down – had received a bloody lip and a bruised knuckle.

Amazingly enough, it took Shaun Slater a few seconds and no wounds of his own to get rid of Alice. He just cracked her on the head from behind with a chunk of broken off gravestone and then dragged her into the Shadowland.

When Jesse, Carmenita, Toby, Unique, and I hurried to the hospital later, Rosie and Shaun were sitting beside a bandaged up Jaco in one of the rooms, chatting of all things.

"Mom! Dad! Hey!" yelped Jaco, standing up.

Rosie pulled him back down and said, "Rest, you idiot."

Carmenita was unusually silent beside Unique the Usually Silent as Toby asked what had occurred. What was wrong?

I glanced at Jesse as Rosie explained what had happened. He was occasionally glancing at Paul's son, and when Jaco burst out at the end, exclaiming how Shaun had helped them, Jesse's eyes widened.

"He's right," agreed Rosie. "Shaun took good care of that ghost."

Jesse did something surprising then – even to me, who has been married to him for over a decade – and smiled at Shaun. "Well, son of Slater, I thank you," he said genuinely.

Shrugging, Shaun smirked. "It was nothing."

* * *

"What do you think of, Slater's son, Susannah?" Jesse asked me later when we were alone. All five children were safe in bed – atleast I thought so – and hopefully wouldn't be targets for another vengeful ghost for awhile.

I yawned and said, "I don't know. Paul helped me get out of a few things, but never of the mediating kind."

Jesse thought on this, his eyes impassive in the dim light from the lamp on the nightstand to his right.

A shout of outrage rang out then, and I groaned. Carmenita. It could only be her. Jesse smiled slightly and said, "I will go see what's wrong this time. You can sleep."

"Not with that racket I can't," I grumbled, but winked at him.

He left the bedroom, and I could hear Rosie's voice now. It was too high and sharp – meaning she was the one quarreling with Carmenita. I could make out snatches of her yells. "_What…doing…looking…my computer?_"

Oh God. Don't tell me Carmenita touched the Mini-Doc's computer. That's the meaning of life for my little computer geek sometimes.

Jesse's gentle rumble came then, but Carmenita cut it off, screeching something about "…_Shaun!_"

No. Don't tell me my oldest daughters are fighting over Paul Slater's son.

Oh my God. Someone shoot me now. That's just wrong. Shaun's been okay so far, but who would want Paul as their in-law?

I dragged myself out of bed to see Jaco peering out of his and Toby's room across the hall. Jaco – with his plaster cast and bruised eye of course – sidled towards me until he was right beside me in the doorway to my bedroom. "What's their problem?" he whispered.

"A boy," I whispered, too shocked to explain further.

"Oh," said Jaco uninterestedly. "Well, I'll go back to bed then. It'll be hard with Toby snoring and them shouting though."

Chuckling, I kissed his forehead. "'Night, Jaco."

"'Night, Mom," yawned Jaco, slipping back in his room.

Carmenita and Rosie were still yelling over Jesse.

"_He turned you down!_" shrieked Rosie.

"_So?_" hollered Carmenita. "_That doesn't mean you can go behind my back while I still like him and **date** him!_"

"_I didn't know you really liked him! I thought you just asked him out because he was the new guy!_" Rosie defended herself.

"_Liar!_" accused Carmenita venomously.

Argh. My head hurts. Teenage daughters. Sheesh. One…Two…Three!

"QUIET!" I shouted. Both girls clamped their mouths shut.

"Now, tell us _calmly_ what initiated this?" Jesse demanded.

"This," hissed Carmenita, glowering at Rosie. "I found it on her computer after I noticed she was gone."

She held out a piece of white printer paper. I took it and held it so Jesse could read it too. It was a copy of several instant messages between "CompGeek15" and "SSghostlyhaunt." I recognized the first screen name as Rosie's. But who was the second? The sheet read:

**CompGeek15 (8:34:59 PM): hi**

**SSghostlyhaunt (8:35:03 PM): hey, Rose**

**CompGeek15 (8:35:09 PM): Tanx for today. Sup?**

**SSghostlyhaunt (8:35:17 PM): no problem. My mom freaked out though.**

**CompGeek15 (8:35:25 PM): o**

**CompGeek15 (8:35:27 PM): sorry**

**SSghostlyhaunt (8:35:31 PM): Don't worry about it. Can you meet me at the Mission again 2night?**

**CompGeek15 (8:35:39 PM): Yea. I guess I can sneak out. When?**

**SSghostlyhaunt (8:35:48 PM): How's 9 sound?**

**CompGeek15 (8:35:52 PM): I'll be there**

**SSghostlyhaunt (8:35:56 PM): Great**

**CompGeek15 (8:36:03 PM): See you then**

**SSghostlyhaunt (8:36:03 PM): bye**

**SSghostlyhaunt signed off at 8:36:11 PM.**

It was 10:39. Rosie could have easily snuck out and back in after meeting…who?

"So you met Shaun Slater?" Jesse asked evenly.

Rosie turned a bright red, while Carmenita nodded triumphantly.

Shaun Slater? Wait. The screen name proved Jesse was correct. "SS" – although more commonly used in front of ship names – were his _initials_ and "ghostlyhaunt" was a reference to him being a mediator! Ha, I am a genius…when led in the right direction by Jesse.

OH MY GOD! ROSIE SNUCK OUT TO MEET SHAUN _SLATER_? WHAT IS THE WORLD COMING TO?

* * *

A/N: Did anyone suspect Rosie was dating Shaun? Probably not. Please review!

A/N 2: Here's a poll that I hope you all answer in a review (if you haven't already):

Which kid of Jesse & Suze of my creation do you like best so far?:

1. Carmenita

2. Toby

3. Rosie

4. Jaco

5. Unique

Please tell me why you like that particular kid too, okay? See you next chapter. Bye.


	5. Negative

**Mediator Mom******

**By: ChocolateEclar**

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that has to do with the Mediator Series by Meg Cabot/Jenny Carroll, including Jesse (please?), Suze, Paul, Father D, CeeCee, Adam, etc.

Claimer: I fully own Shaun, Charisma, Carmen "Carmenita" De Silva, Rosalinda "Rosie" De Silva and her pets, Tobias "Toby" De Silva, Jacob "Jaco" De Silva and his dog Hiei, and Dominique "Unique" De Silva. I also own the plot. I may not own the fact that Jesse has five sisters (ages 6-16 when he died), but I do own who the five girls are – i.e. their personalities and names. In short, I also own Juanita "Nita" De Silva, Estefana De Silva, Felicidad "Felly" De Silva, Dolores "Dolly" De Silva, and most of all Carmen De Silva.

**To Clavel:** Rosie, huh? She's my second fave because she's so much like me, but I don't know if I'd work up the nerve to sneak out of the house to meet a bad boy_. (laughs)_ Thanks for the review!

**To UnangelicHalo:** Who says Carmenita is a shifter? Hehe. You'll learn more about Shaun and Rosie…eventually, but first, lots of Suze freaking out. Thanks again.

**To lindsay & Luna Gypsy:** Ah, more Rosie fans. Thanks for reviewing!

**To Allimba:** Toby? Okay. Thanks for reviewing.

**To SweetestReject:** I like Unique the best too. She just seems like a very strange child at first…and then she just gets stranger. _(laughs)_ Thanks for the review.

**To happydrummergal: **Ah, a vote for Jaco. Good. Thanks for the review.

**To gatorchick007:** Another vote for Rosie… Thanks for reviewing.

**To Enelya Tinuviel:** Suze is sure to react more… _(laughs)_ Thanks for the review!

A/N: The poll is now closed. Here's the final result:

1. Carmenita - 1 vote (10%)

2. Toby - 1 vote (10%)

3. Rosie - 5 votes (50%)

4. Jaco - 1 vote (10%)

5. Unique - 2 votes (20%)

**1st Place** – Rosie

**2nd Place** – Unique

**3rd Place** – Everyone else (Carmenita, Toby, and Jaco)

Thanks for taking the poll! Now enjoy!

**Chapter 4: Negative******

I am calm. I am not freaking out…

_Why isn't Jesse freaking out?_

"I expected as much," said Jesse with a slightly worn expression. That's it? You _expected_ as much? Ahhhhh!

I mean, when Jesse found out I kissed Paul he freaked out. _Why not now?_

"Are you sure he isn't using you though?" Jesse asked. Now that sounds more like him.

Rosie smiled slightly. "We'll just have to wait and see, Papá," she replied.

A small groan escaped from my left. Unique was standing in her bedroom doorway in her over-sized T-shirt for pajamas, rolling her eyes. "Figures," she grumbled. She looked like her usual self apart from the gold hoop entwined around her ankle. She hid it behind her other ankle, making a faint clinking sound. Where on earth had that come from? "Are we going back to sleep now?" she asked.

"Yes," answered Jesse. He looked directly at her and added, "But in the morning any secrets had better be revealed at breakfast."

More secrets? Argh.

* * *

"You first, Carmenita," Jesse said at the kitchen table over breakfast the next morning. It was Saturday and, as such, no one was moving very quickly except Jesse. He's used to getting up at dawn to herd cattle or pick crops or whatever though.

"What?" Carmenita gasped. "I'm not hiding anything!"

Jesse gave her a critical eye and asked me, "Is it in fashion to wear scarves in May, Susannah?"

Oh. I saw what he meant. Carmenita's neck was swathed in a feathery, black scarf, which meant… "Argh, Carmenita, not again. Why can't your boyfriends stop biting your neck?"

Toby snorted into his orange juice, while Jaco and Rosie burst into peals of laughter. Unique just smirked at Carmenita's red face.

"Okay, okay, so I'm not innocent," she admitted, "but atleast I'm not dating my parents' arch-enemy's son."

Scowling, Rosie snapped, "Atleast I have a steady boyfriend."

"You've been dating for a week!" hissed Carmenita. "I've had month-long boyfriends!"

"Dominique," Jesse interrupted – he always calls all of them by their full first names except Carmenita.

"Yes, Papá?" Unique queried.

"You have been to the Shadowland since your mother told you not to, haven't you?" Jesse asked.

"Yes, Papá," answered Unique.

"Please don't do it again," Jesse said, slightly pleadingly. He didn't want to lose his smart, little weird "_hija_." How could anyone really? Unique was so cute in her own way, which was like no other eight-year-old. Her way of being cute, I mean.

"Jacob," said Jesse turning to Jaco.

"I didn't call Sister Ernestine a hag…t-to her face again!" Jaco argued.

"I know," said Jesse laughingly. "I mean, you kissed Charisma."

_What? CeeCee and Adam's daughter?_

"What?" shrieked Rosie.

"_Holy Jeez!_" yelped Carmenita, while Toby yelled, "Go Jaco!"

"She kissed _me_," mumbled Jaco, looking at his fingers.

"The point is," cooed Carmenita, "did you like it?"

"Well, I…yeah, I guess," Jaco muttered, turning redder.

"Awww!" Carmenita and I teased.

Toby ruffled up Jaco's hair, as Jesse let out a little sigh. Something else was wrong.

"Tobias," said Jesse.

"I'm innocent," Toby claimed, turning from Jaco. "Honest, Pop."

"Except for being considered more of a freak than me for doing a mediation in front of his homeroom class," Unique noted tightly.

"Wha? Oh, I…I," Toby stammered. "That's nothing."

"It's not nothing," Rosie said – suddenly stern. "Carmenita got detention for beating someone up for calling you a freak of nature."

"I can handle it," Toby insisted.

Oh, he handled it really well.

On Monday, I got a call at work from the Mission. Apparently, all five of my little _angels_ had gotten suspended for a week for fighting. Oh boy.

But first, I called CeeCee right after the "confession breakfast" to talk about _very important matters_.

"Can you believe it?" I asked.

"A little," CeeCee replied. "I bet Jaco's not lying about Charisma kissing _him_ though."

"No doubt about it with her having some of Adam's genes," I agreed.

CeeCee and I chatted about "the future wedding of Jaco and Charisma" for awhile longer. It was a lot of fun, but I felt old doing it. Ah, who cares? There's always anti-aging cream. I don't want surgery or _botax_ though. Too many complications, and I like when I can move my face thank you very much.

Now, back to the fight. Apparently, a boy named Dan had got into Toby's face about being a freak at lunch, so Toby shoved him away. Dan's friend Connor swore at Toby and went to punch Toby only to be tackled by Rosie. What followed was Jaco and Unique tried to break up the fights between Dan-and-Toby and Connor-and-Rosie, only to get into the brawl themselves when Dan insulted the whole De Silva Family. Carmenita joined in shortly after hearing about the occurring scuffle, and my five children, Dan, Connor, and their friends Travis, Darryl, and Oliver were dragged to Father Dom's office.

Sister Ernestine called them all juvenile delinquents and sinners in the house of the Lord. Thanks for the kind and forgiving words, Sister, (_not_) but five of them are _my_ sinning juvenile delinquents!

_My_ delinquents turned out better in the fight though. Unique's wrist was broken and Jaco had a broken nose to accompany his already broken arm, but otherwise they were only bruised up. Dan and his friends were a bit worse off – each with a broken bone or two.

Hey, don't blame me. I only taught them to defend against dead people. I said nothing about the living.

Father Dom doesn't seem to agree. He said, "You shouldn't allow them to mediate until they know when to take action and when to stay back."

Thanks, Father Dom. I didn't take Parenting 101, so sue me, which reminds me, thank God Dan and friends didn't sue or anything. That's one plus. I'm still in the negatives though.

I can hear Jaco moaning about his nose in the bathroom. I would be too. A broken nose is so not fashionable. Carmenita, Toby, and Rosie are each using icepacks on various parts of their bruised bodies and watching an old black and white movie together in the living room downstairs.

"_Ahhhh!_" That would be Carmenita. I think Toby just dropped his icepack down her shirt. Sheesh.

Atleast, Unique is staying true to her promise to not go to the Shadowland right now. She's sitting next to Jesse – with her broken wrist in a cast – and talking about atoms. Fascinating… Snore.

* * *

A/N: Sorry this took awhile, but I had so many problems with it! I'll try to be quicker in updating next time! Please review! Bye!


	6. Mother's Nightmare

**Mediator Mom******

**By: ChocolateEclar**

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that has to do with the Mediator Series by Meg Cabot/Jenny Carroll, including Jesse (please?), Suze, Paul, Father D, CeeCee, Adam, etc.

Claimer: I fully own Shaun, Charisma, Carmen "Carmenita" De Silva, Rosalinda "Rosie" De Silva and her pets, Tobias "Toby" De Silva, Jacob "Jaco" De Silva and his dog Hiei, and Dominique "Unique" De Silva. I also own the plot. I may not own the fact that Jesse has five sisters (ages 6-16 when he died), but I do own who the five girls are – i.e. their personalities and names. In short, I also own Juanita "Nita" De Silva, Estefana De Silva, Felicidad "Felly" De Silva, Dolores "Dolly" De Silva, and most of all Carmen De Silva.

**To Clavel:** Thanks a bunch. grins

**To UnangelicHalo:** The Slater family will definitely appear more. Don't be so sure who the shifters are yet though… laughs Thanks again!

**To Enelya Tinuviel:** Yeah, go De Silvas! No one messes with them. laughs Thanks for reviewing!

**To SweetestReject:** hugs Unique Thanks again!

**To Luna Gypsy:** _A couple of days?!_ Not quite. Actually, it takes atleast a week or more for me to update. Most often it's ten to fifteen days. Thanks though!

**To Allimba and xxStar:** Thanks a lot!

**Chapter 5: Mother's Nightmare******

I'm not going to lie. My worst nightmare is not missing a big sale. In fact, my worst nightmare has nothing to do with fashion.

My worst nightmare is a whole lot worse. And I keep having it repeat over and over in my sleep. Not very for good beauty sleep, let me tell you. Jesse – unlike Toby – doesn't sleep like a log. He always asks me what's wrong…but I can't say it out loud. No, I couldn't bear it.

It's kind of funny though. Being afraid of a dream as an adult. I mean, the Paul/Shadowland dream I used to have was creepy, but nothing like this…

I hate it. I hate how it makes me feel. I hate how it makes me lie to Jesse and how it compels me to peer into my children's rooms in the middle of the night – just to make sure they're okay.

It started on the first day of the one-week suspension. Unique had been sent to bed with her little wrist incased in a cast. I was strangely tired. It wasn't _too_ late. Only nine o'clock, but I felt exhausted.

Jesse peered at me after Unique had gone and asked, "_Querida_?"

"Yeah, Jesse?" I replied, yawning.

"Never mind. You're tired. Go to sleep," said Jesse, turning away.

I didn't think much of it. Now, I realize I should've persisted and asked Jesse to tell me what he had meant to.

I curled on my side under the blankets…and was asleep in moments.

Suddenly, I was inside a dark room with a high ceiling. Tables had been spread out over the vast marble floor. On top of each was a child. My children. I rushed to the closest table. Jaco was deadly cold. His eyelids weren't fluttered and his chest lay still. Panicking, I pressed two fingers to his neck. No pulse.

_Oh God!_ I tried to push air into his lungs by pressing my mouth over his…but nothing happens. He was so cold and lifeless. Beside him on the next closest table, I could tell Rosie was no better. But a spark of hope flashed in me as I scanned my eyes over the others, looking for something to help me. Unique was letting out little haggard gasps – like she was trying desperately to breathe.

I was at her side in seconds, trying to keep from being sick. My chest ached as I called out, "Unique! _Dominique, can you hear me?_"

"_Mam_," choked out Unique, her eyes flickering open. Her pupils were very small in glazed green eyes.

"What happened?" I cried out. "Why are – "

Unique grabbed my wrist in a surprisingly tight grasp. "R-Remember…the time…out ritual?" she gasped. Her face was taking on a bluish tinge that terrified me more than ever.

"Shh, shh, yeah, of course I remember, but –" I began, trying to get her to relax and let me help her.

"He'll…use it in a…d-different way," coughed Unique. "He'll…h-hunt for us.

"What? Who'll – " I cried out.

"Don't…worry," Unique gasped. Her lips were turning blue now. God, no… "Stay…from…shadows," she continued. It was becoming harder for her to breathe. I couldn't bear it.

"Let me help – " I told her, tears burning my eyes.

"_No!_" said Unique with one last burst of strength. "Too late... Remember. Jaco and Carmenita aren't – "

She went limp then and her eyes rolled back and closed. Death closed in around me. There was a painful ringing in my ears.

My children were dead!

I awoke with a scream on that first night. Jesse practically fell off the bed in trying to scramble – half-asleep – to his feet. "Susannah?" he gasped as if I'd given him a heart attack. "What's wrong? Why did you – "

"Oh," I said, panting slightly. My heart was pumping a mile a minute. It was just a dream. A terrible dream of a mother's worst fear – the death of her children. "It was just a dream," I lied.

Jesse looked far from reassured though. In fact, he seemed even more worried. "What was it about?" he asked.

"I don't wanna talk about it," I responded, looking at the blankets.

"_Querida_ – " Jesse started, but I didn't reply.

Since then, I don't shriek anymore. Instead, I wake up in a cold sweat and look anxiously at the room and then make sure the children are safe.

I know Jesse is aware of how much the nightmares shake me, but we don't talk about it. I _can't_ talk about it.

* * *

It's hard looking at the children. Jesse and I took turns all week watching them during work hours because of the suspension. Normally, Carmenita and Rosie would be fine by themselves watching the others, but Jesse and I are half-heartedly punishing them all for fighting.

I couldn't bear it if that dream were real. It would kill me. I know I keep having it for a reason though.

* * *

"Mamá?" queried Unique as I sat in the living room before the television – not really watching it.

I nearly jumped out of my skin, but managed to squeak, "Yeah, Unique?"

"Can you try to convince Jaco that – even though his nose is crooked and broken – that does not mean he's ugly now?" Unique asked with wisdom normal eight-year-olds don't have.

I chuckled for the first time in days and went up to Jaco and Toby's bedroom with Unique. "You're not grossly disfigured!" shouted Rosie, leaning over Jaco's bed. The eleven-year-old was lying on his back on his bed with his nose still bandaged up.

"Yeah, Jaco," I said. "You still have Charisma. I bet she'll like you anyway."

Jaco turned red as his four siblings burst out laughing. I went over and ruffled Jaco's hair. "It'll be all right, Jaco," I said.

I was trying to encourage myself more than him though.

* * *

"Hey, Suze," drawled someone behind me. I turned from where I'd been flipping through fabric books and held back a grimace.

Mr. and Mrs. Paul Slater were standing casually in front of the checkout desk of my clothing store in Carmel. Just what I needed. Not.

I would really like to know. _Does someone up there hate me _this_ much?_

"What are you doing here?" I hissed.

"Is this how you treat customers?" asked Delilah Slater with a frigid smile. Bring it on, she-devil. She set down a pile of clothes and brushed a lock of blonde hair out of her face dramatically.

"Only ones I can't stand," I said with an equally icy smirk.

"Come on, Suze," Paul said, pulling out a gold credit card. "We're just making a few purchases."

"Sure you are," I riposted, ringing up a pink blouse on the cash register for the she-devil. Might as well have them pay and leave as quickly as possible after all.

"Actually, we came by to talk about a few things. One being your daughter, Rosalinda," Paul said.

"Yeah," I replied. "What about her?"

"We know for a fact, she's dating our Shaun," said Delilah.

"Della's right," agreed Paul.

"What's your point?" I asked, taking Paul's credit card and slashing it through the machine. Good thing there was no one else in the store or I'd lose a few customers for being rude.

"Our point is," said Paul, "is little Rosie a shifter or not?"

"Kids don't tell their parents anything," I answered. "You know that."

"As I suspected," mumbled Paul. "Another thing then…"

"Are you prepared for them playing with the shadows once they're ready?" "Della" inquired. Both of them were grinning now. I didn't like it.

Shadows… In my dream, Unique always said in short gasps, "Stay…from…shadows." What did this mean?

"What are you talking about?" I snapped, placing Della's new clothes in a plastic bag.

"Oh," said Paul. "Nothing, Suze. Don't you worry about a thing. Soon, it'll all be over."

"_Over?_" I yelped. "What do you –" But they walked out the door – bag of purchases in tow – and totally ignored my protests.

I had a bad thing about this. The dream came to mind then. My nightmare. A mother's worst nightmare.

* * *

A/N: I'm finally getting down to the real plot. Next chapter: What does the dream mean? And what are Paul and Della up to? Is Shaun in on the plan? Find out next time… laughs

A/N 2: Don't forget to review! Bye.


	7. Shadows' Lullaby

**Mediator Mom******

**By: ChocolateEclar**

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that has to do with the Mediator Series by Meg Cabot/Jenny Carroll, including Jesse (please?), Suze, Paul, Father D, CeeCee, Adam, etc.

Claimer: I fully own Shaun, Charisma, Carmen "Carmenita" De Silva, Rosalinda "Rosie" De Silva and her pets, Tobias "Toby" De Silva, Jacob "Jaco" De Silva and his dog Hiei, and Dominique "Unique" De Silva. I also own the plot. I may not own the fact that Jesse has five sisters (ages 6-16 when he died), but I do own who the five girls are – i.e. their personalities and names. In short, I also own Juanita "Nita" De Silva, Estefana De Silva, Felicidad "Felly" De Silva, Dolores "Dolly" De Silva, and most of all Carmen De Silva.

**To GATORCHICK007:** Cliffhangers are an author's delight and a reader's curse. _(laughs)_ Just warning you, this chapter ends in a cliffy too. Sorry! Thanks for the review!

**To UnangelicHalo:** More Jesse in this chapter. He seems to be hanging in the background right now, doesn't he? Hopefully that'll change. _(laughs)_ You'll find out who the shifters are…eventually. Hehe. Thanks again!

**To Enelya Tinuviel, Allimba, Sweetest Reject, Luna Gypsy:** Thanks for reviewing! _(big grin)_

**To Clavel:** Paul and his wife are…complicated. Let's leave it at that. _(laughs)_ Thanks again!

**To Hauntedgurrl:** All the kids will be alive…in the end. I love them too much to hurt them… more than I am about to! Thanks a lot for reviewing!

**To Gen. Kenobi:** Hey, fellow Emily. _(laughs)_ Jaco is like you minus the morning person-ness? Me too! Hehe. Shaun is hot, but Suze has JESSE! _(chuckles)_

"Hi, my name's ChocolateEclar, and I am a procrastinator. Can I have some help? I think I've had this problem…all my life!"

_(winks)_ Thanks for reviewing!

Disclaimer 2: No, I really don't think I own Jessica Simpson's song "With You." Hehe.

**Chapter 6: Shadows' Lullaby******

All right, it's _really_ bad when your own shadow scares the heck out of you. I mean, I'm usually pretty calm. Ghosts pop out at me all the time, but I never freak out. But now that I had that dream, everything's different.

The five kids are back in school after their week suspension. I think they're actually relieved. We cooped them up in the house the entire time after all. Unique says Carmenita had a new boyfriend by the end of their first day back. I guess she's gotten over Shaun. Good thing too. I'd bad enough with one daughter enthralled with a Slater.

Shaun came over to the house that day too. I'd stayed home because I had felt sick, and it didn't help much that Rosie's boyfriend looked like a freaky younger blonde version of Paul.

I think I know what my real problem is though, and it's not the dream. The fact that I puked shortly after Shaun left didn't destroy my suspicions either.

Jaco told me that day – as he held back my hair as I coughed my lunch into the toilet bowl – that Toby hadn't been made fun of that day. I was pleased. It's nothing like a few broken bones and some blood to get people to like you again.

"You okay, Mom?" Jaco asked.

"Yeah," I managed to say before letting out a fresh wave of food.

Jaco didn't even scrunch up his face. For some reason, that stuff didn't really gross him or Unique out. Carmenita on the other hand…

"_Argh_. What's wrong with you, Mamá?" she said, wrinkling her nose.

"I don't know. Maybe it's the throwing up," I said dryly. I wasn't in the mood for Carmenita to pull her "disgusted girly-girl" routine. I am very good at that myself, but I'd rather think about more pressing matters right now.

"_What did you do?_" hissed Toby's voice from downstairs.

An alien mumble answered. Then, Rosie's voice. I could only understand Toby's shouts though.

"You made my sister cry, you – " Toby snarled. Let's just say, he didn't finish that sentence off very politely.

A door slammed then, and I could hear sobbing. I grabbed Jaco's hand to pull myself to my feet and stalked to the landing. Looking down, I could see Toby with his fists clenched, and Rosie weeping into her hands. I soon found out that Shaun had dumped Rosie and Toby had tried to "defend his sister's honor." _Men_. Sheesh.

Jesse sat and soothed Rosie's ruffled feathers, while I asked Toby exactly what had happened. Well, I was getting answers until a familiar feeling crept up my throat and I ran to the bathroom and let out partly dry heaves into the toilet again.

Talk about disgusting. Bleh.

* * *

Jesse says I'm starting to live in the bathroom. That's not true. I've managed to sleep half the night without puking!

Okay, so I wasn't feeling so hot, but atleast it was stopping me from thinking about the nightmare. Mostly.

Towards the end of the second lousy day, Jesse picked up the phone. He seemed a bit wary of using it more often than not – which was kind of understandable…being born in the 1800s and all – and said, "I'm calling your doctor, Susannah."

I just sort of let out a grunt and covered my mouth to stop anything unwanted coming out of it. I'm sure I looked really attractive to my husband. Not. I mean, I hadn't bothered to even comb my hair that day between sleeping, eating, and puking my guts out. Oh yeah. I was really beautiful. Argh.

Jesse sat on the bed beside me as he spoke to the doctor on the phone. Running his fingertips over my arm, he gave me a small reassuring smile before clasping my hand. It made me feel like I was in that Jessica Simpson song, "With You."

_"'Cause with you  
I can let my hair down  
I can say anything crazy  
I know you'll catch me right before I hit the ground  
With nothing but a T-shirt on  
I never felt so beautiful  
Baby as I do now  
Now that I'm with you  
With you"_

I felt calm for the first time since I'd starting having the nightmare. I curled up next to Jesse and rested my head on his thigh. I could see his lips flutter into another smile, and I grinned right back before falling asleep.

* * *

"Too late... Remember. Jaco and Carmenita aren't – "

My eyes snapped open to see Jesse staring down at me. I was in exactly the same place I'd been before I'd dozed off, but now Jesse had set the phone back down on its cradle on the nightstand. My breath was coming out in little gasps still as I went to move.

Jesse let out an expletive rather like he was frustrated. He shifted out from under my head and spread out beside me on his back. "Tell me, Susannah," he said a bit too casually, "when are we both going to be able to be completely honest with each other where dreams are concerned?"

Perplexed, I asked, "What do you mean?"

"I mean," said Jesse, propping his head up on his elbow so he could face me, "you lied about your nightmares of Paul back when you were sixteen, and now you've been lying about a dream about our own children."

"How do you – " I began before, pausing. How could he know…unless…?

"You've been having the dream too!" I shouted, jabbing my finger at his chest. When Jesse made no move to deny it, I added, "And you talk about lying!"

"_Nombre de Dios, querida…_" groaned Jesse. He was trying to use a pleading, yet sexy tone to get me to see his point of view, but fat chance of that! If memory served, he'd been having the dream just as long as I had and hadn't said anything either!

"Don't you sweet Spanish talk me, Jesse De Silva!" I grumbled and sat up to glare down at him.

Jesse looked guilty now. Good. He should be. But my resolve was shaken by the fact that tears – actual _tears_! – were forming in my eyes. For over a week, I had kept it in – all the pain and loss I felt every time I slept. I needed to just let go.

Which is why I pretty much tackled Jesse and sobbed into his shirt right there. I felt relieved to be doing it, but kind of embarrassed. But Jesse just held me and whispered gentle words in Spanish into my hair.

Amazingly, I went back to sleep then. I was so tired and worn, I didn't even dream.

Maybe things would be all right after all. Maybe the dream would stay a dream. Or maybe not.

* * *

All right, thirty-four isn't old, is it? I mean, sure I'm not as young as I used to be, but I am still in good health and wrinkle-free.

I think Jesse is in mute shock by the way he sat next to me as I drove us home from the doctor's office. He just kind of stared out the window – barely blinking. The doctor gave me some medicine to help my stomach, but from past experiences, I know the puking is pretty much over with anyway.

I think I knew all along. I know Jesse will be pleased once he gets over his astonishment, because, once again, I'm pregnant. It'll mean our family is as big as his immediate family was. Two parents and six children. Whoa. I'll have my own litter.

"How should I put this…?" I told the five kids at dinner that night.

Carmenita, who'd had this talk four times in the past, let out a long breath and asked, "Again, Mamá?"

Easy for her to complain! I'm the one who's going to have a bowling ball-size stomach again!

Unique is the only one who took the news calmly. That's not saying much though, considering she's as impassive as a brick wall. But atleast one of my children decided to sit with me after the talk and just lean against my shoulder – a silent wall of promise. She wouldn't let me feel unhappy or have any reservations about having the new baby.

Have I mentioned that I tend to be a very moody pregnant woman?

* * *

"Stay…from…shadows," whispered the dream Unique before I was abruptly awakened. A scream had brought me out of my nightmare. What the heck?

Jesse didn't even pause for breath. He was out of bed and to Unique's room – where the shriek had come from – before I could comprehend what was happening. Following Jesse, I hurried inside Unique's room – where already the others had gathered. Even Toby – the heavy sleeper – was awake, but weary-eyed. All of them were trying to force the flailing Unique from an enemy hidden in shadows.

Or so I thought until I noticed the enemy _was_ the shadows.

"Stay…from…shadows."

The dark hands of the shadows were grasping Unique's arms and legs. She was garbed in a tan smock with several golden rings wrapped around her ankles and wrists. Where did she get those clothes and jewelry?

I flipped on the light switch out of pure instinct. The shadows – that I now could see where humanoid – hissed and vanished. Unique was gathered up in Jesse's arms – where she let out a little whimper and weeped.

As I made my way to stroke Unique's hair, I felt a tug at my ankles. Looking down, I could see that – mixed in with my own shadow – were two of the humanoid shadows. They were small enough to fit in with my shadow and had a hold of both of my ankles.

Before I could do much but swear, I was yanked through the floor and into total darkness. I got a good glimpse of Jesse's inky eyes going really wide before I did though.

One thought came to mind, "Stay…from…shadows." _Thanks, but it's a little late for that!_

Damn. Some people – and humanoid shadows – just have no respect for feisty pregnant women.

* * *

A/N: Haha! Only a few days since I last updated! Please review! Sorry about the cliffhanger!


	8. Son's Loyalty

**Mediator Mom******

**By: ChocolateEclar**

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that has to do with the Mediator Series by Meg Cabot/Jenny Carroll, including Jesse (please?), Suze, Paul, Father D, CeeCee, Adam, etc.

Claimer: I fully own Shaun, Charisma, Carmen "Carmenita" De Silva, Rosalinda "Rosie" De Silva and her pets, Tobias "Toby" De Silva, Jacob "Jaco" De Silva and his dog Hiei, and Dominique "Unique" De Silva. I also own the plot. I may not own the fact that Jesse has five sisters (ages 6-16 when he died), but I do own who the five girls are – i.e. their personalities and names. In short, I also own Juanita "Nita" De Silva, Estefana De Silva, Felicidad "Felly" De Silva, Dolores "Dolly" De Silva, and most of all Carmen De Silva.

**To ****Gatorchick007:** So you knew Suze was pregnant before I said so? That's good. Thanks for the review.

**To UnangelicHalo:** You have a lot of theories and I know I never say if they're correct, but I like that you ponder possible future events. I mean, it helps me decide how I want my story to go. So, keep the theories coming! Thanks again!

**To Gen. Kenobi: **Nope, I don't really like Jessica Simpson. I just thought that song kind of fit. _(laughs)_ So, I make it hard to love Paul? Well, I _am_ a JF you know. Hehe. Thanks for reviewing again, fellow Emily!

**To Enelya Tinuviel:** _(laughs)_ It _was_ a weird review, but I liked it. Anything that makes me laugh is good. Yeah, five kids are already too much…and now I'm adding another one. Hehe. You're welcome to have Paul kidnap you. Thanks for reviewing!

**To Clavel:** Calm down. Everything will turn out right eventually. _(laughs)_ Shaun is another complicated issue. As is where Suze has been taken… Thanks for the review!

**To Allimba:** Yeah, Suze is pregnant…AGAIN. _(laughs)_ Thanks for reviewing!

**To Holly:** _(laughs)_ Will do. Thanks for reviewing!

A/N: Yeah! Over 50 reviews! Wahoo! Thanks, guys!

A/N 2: All right, folks, here's another poll:

**Should the new baby be…**

**1) ****A boy?**

**2) ****A girl?**

**3) ****Or you don't care.**

Let me know in a review please! I can go either way…though I'd prefer another boy.

Once we figure out if the baby is a boy or a girl, I'll take name suggestions. Think of this as a somewhat interactive story, if you will. _(laughs)_

**Chapter 7: Son's Loyalty******

All right, remind me again why these things always happen to me? Oh yeah, I'm a mediator. Never mind then.

Seriously though, _where the heck am I?_ I can't see anything but inky darkness. Atleast I'm not afraid of the dark. Rosie was always a bit on edge as a little kid when she was in pitch-dark, but I never was.

I had been just standing there for ten minutes and still nothing! It was cold too. I was still in my blue pajama bottoms with yellow crescent moons scattered across it and my pajama shirt – a blue tank top. Folding my arms against my chest, I tried to step forward…only to pause as footsteps approached.

I couldn't make out any features or even the size or shape of what was walking towards me, but I backpedaled slowly. Can't be too careful after all.

"Ah, there you are, Suze," said a familiar voice. I couldn't quite place it for a second.

"Della Slater," I snapped.

"Yes," came Della's light voice.

Suddenly, we were out of darkness and in a room with a high ceiling and a marble floor. It was strangely ballroom-like with tall windows on the far wall. It hit me then. We were in the room of my nightmare, minus the long tables and children.

Della was wearing a little black party dress that fit the room. Her blonde hair was flowing over her tanned shoulders. Pivoting on her high heels to face me sideways, she said, "Welcome to our home, Suze."

A knock at the door cut off my biting retort. "It's done, Paul!" called out Della, smiling. I'll wipe that grin right off your face you – !

One of the wide wooden doors leading into the room creaked out open and Paul Slater appeared. "Welcome, Suze!" he said.

"Are they taken care of?" Della asked suspiciously.

"Oh," said Paul. "You mean the children and the cowboy?"

"_Paul…_" hissed Della.

"Just have your shadow go after them," said Paul casually.

"_How could they have gotten away?_" shrieked Della. Whoa, there. What's going on?

"_Shaun_," Paul replied simply. His blue eyes had gone frosty.

Letting out a frustrating shriek, Della turned back to me.

"So your kid helped my family escape?" I asked, smirking.

I thought Paul and Della wanted _me_ though. What were they doing trying to get Jesse and the children?

"The escape into time I bet," grumbled Della. "Right, Paul?"

"Correct," drawled Paul.

"We need her more than ever then," said Della, jerking her thumb backwards at me. Hello! I'm right here! Stop talking about me!

"What do you, psychos, need me for exactly?" I inquired.

Della snapped her fingers and hand-shaped shadows came from behind me and bound my wrists.

"It's very simple, Suze," explained Paul. "We need you as bait for your little children." What the…?

"My children?" I echoed, struggling against the shadows' iron grip.

"You'll see soon enough," Paul said. "We figured it would be easier to capture you then to try to get your kids."

Easier to capture me than children? Sure, the plan worked, but I was still insulted.

"We almost had little Dominique," purred Della. That's the only way to describe her tone and her satisfied smirk.

She was like the cat that got the canary. I don't want to be the canary though. Besides, yellow looks horrible on me anyway.

"With Shaun leading them," Paul voiced out loud to Della, "they'll be able to hop from different times."

Wait. That didn't go with what he'd told me years ago.

"_This is a sort of Egyptian shifter time portal. According to Dr. Slaski's research, a shifter can use it only once in their entire lifetime to prevent someone's death. **But only once**_."

That's what Paul had said himself, so how could Shaun be able to hop through different times?

"How can he move from time to time? You said shifters can only go back in time once," I hissed.

"Simple, Suze," Paul explained. "I can tell atleast one of your children, little Dominique, is a very different kind of shifter than you and me. Dominique and Shaun and whoever else are a new breed made of a shifter and a mediator – you and De Silva – Della and I. They can go back at anytime for as much as they want. They're abilities only make it harder for Della's shadow ghosts to find them. But soon, when we catch all of them, we'll be able to do that too. The problem is, we have to catch them all to find out who exactly are the shifters out of them."

Whoa. Was this true? Was that why Unique was always vanishing and why she returned this time with strange clothes and jewelry on?

Where had Shaun hidden my family? I'd rather be stuck in a strange time with Paul's son than with Paul and Della and the blasted shadow ghosts.

* * *

Della and Paul left to plan. I was left stuck to the floor of the ballroom via shadow ghosts. Great. As if my life wasn't screwed up enough.

In a little flash of light that made the shadows wither, Shaun Slater appeared beside me.

"Where are – ?" I began.

"_Shhh!_" hissed Shaun, covering my mouth with his hand. He removed his hand and whispered, "They'll return any moment. Word travels fast through shadow. Rosie made me come looking for you."

"Where are they?" I asked.

"Colonial Boston, Massachusetts," Shaun admitted with a slight grin. "They're all okay though."

"Won't the shadows have heard?" I asked.

"No," Shaun said, shaking his head. "They're too stupid to understand human speech. They just know who I am. That's how they'll notify my mother. She communicates with them through brain waves.

"What about Jesse?"

"He's with the others," Shaun said.

"Good. Now go back to them!" I insisted. "They need you to help them stay safe."

"All right, but Mr. De Silva says to be careful and don't let my dad near you," Shaun said.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked.

Footsteps were approaching, so Shaun replied hurriedly, "Because I care about Rosie and I'm a new shifter too. They'd kill me for my power if I wasn't their son."

"Kill? _What do you mean?_" I gasped. But it was too late. Paul and Della burst in just as Shaun rapidly invoked an incantation to bring him back to my family.

He vanished in another burst of light. Some of Della's shadows went to try to follow Shaun.

What had he meant by: "They'd kill me for my power if I wasn't their son"?

Did that mean Della and Paul would cause what happened in my nightmare…to come true?

My head hurts from all this. I know how I said the puking was pretty much over with, but… Well, I guess it's not. Damn.

_Bleh!_

* * *

A/N: Another quick update. I'm on a roll. Next chapter: Suze realizes she can actually find out what's happening to her kids, but her family is scattered into different times, trying to escape when the shadow ghosts find them…

**Itty Bitty Teaser:**

_"Don't you see, Suze? I have your family on the run," said Paul._

A/N: Don't forget to review and let me know your vote for the poll towards the beginning of the chapter.


	9. Family's Separation

**Mediator Mom******

**By: ChocolateEclar**

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that has to do with the Mediator Series by Meg Cabot/Jenny Carroll, including Jesse (please?), Suze, Paul, Father D, CeeCee, Adam, etc.

Claimer: I fully own Shaun, Charisma, Carmen "Carmenita" De Silva, Rosalinda "Rosie" De Silva and her pets, Tobias "Toby" De Silva, Jacob "Jaco" De Silva and his dog Hiei, and Dominique "Unique" De Silva. I also own the plot. I may not own the fact that Jesse has five sisters (ages 6-16 when he died), but I do own who the five girls are – i.e. their personalities and names. In short, I also own Juanita "Nita" De Silva, Estefana De Silva, Felicidad "Felly" De Silva, Dolores "Dolly" De Silva, and most of all Carmen De Silva.

**To SweetestReject:** Fred? FRED DE SILVA?! _(laughs)_ Just kidding, but that's not likely to happen. Thanks for the review.

**To Clavel:** The devil and Mrs. Creepy? _(laughs)_ I wholeheartedly support throwing up on Paul. Hehe. Thanks for reviewing!

**To Enelya Tinuviel & Allimba: **Thanks again, guys! _(grins)_

**To Gen. Kenobi:** It was something like "don't go in the woods." I'm not so sure I want to see that movie. Some of my friends saw it, revealed the secret to me, and then said, "It wasn't that good." The secret _is_ pretty dumb though.

A theme song? Don't worry. I'm not _that_ crazy. Thanks for reviewing!

**To Holly:** Well, this is a sequel to my fanfic "Timeout," as it says in the summary. If you read "Timeout," you would know why Jesse is alive.

**To UnangelicHalo: **Well, it's complicated why Della has shadows but she's just a mediator. In fact, I asked myself the same question at first, but my inspiration and muses were like, "Just go with it," so I did. _(laughs)_ Thanks for reviewing!

A/N: The poll from the last chapter is now closed. Here are the results:

**1) A boy? – 4 votes (80%)**

**2) A girl? – 0 votes (0%)**

**3) Or you don't care. – 1 vote (20%)**

That settles it then. A boy it is. Now what about a name? If I get a few good suggestions, I'll make another poll or decide myself. We'll see. So far SweetestReject has suggested Fred. _(cough)_ Not going to happen! _(cough)_

**Chapter 8: Family's Separation******

The Great Escape Plan begins…now!

Oh wait. I would need an actual plan for that to happen. Hmm… Okay. I have creepy shadowy things wrapped around my waist to keep me lying on my stomach. It's kind of uncomfortable really.

Not to mention the fact that my family is in danger, and I'm pissed off at the devil and she-devil. So, all in all, things aren't looking too good.

I had to stay calm though. Things could be worse.

It was right about then that I felt kind of like someone had hit me upside my head. My ears were ringing, and I heard voices. I recognized them immediately. Pictures went with the voices when I shut my eyes.

Shadows grasped Toby around his wrists as Jesse struggled to get them off him. Shaun started to mumble the words that would save them while kicking at shadows, as Rosie and Carmenita batted with sticks at the shadows trying to get at them. Unique and Jaco were crouched back-to-back, keeping shadows at bay with their jackets.

All were wearing very strange clothing. Of course, I remembered, it was Colonial Boston, Massachusetts after all.

Jesse, Toby, and Shaun were in double-breasted waistcoats, frock coats, and woolen waist-high breeches. It was strange to see Shaun's longish blonde hair tied back neatly.

Jesse looked pretty hot if I do say so myself.

Carmenita was in indigo blue petticoats and a white bodice with a matching, hooded blue cloak. Beside her, Rosie wore vertical-striped skirts in a beige color and a darker brown for the rest. She wore a mantle – kind of like a short cloak – of the chocolate brown. Both had on straw hats. Rosie's flew off her head and was engulfed in shadow.

Unique had only one petticoat on and a pale peach gown over it. Her long black hair was braided and topped with a little white cap with a peach ribbon around it. Jaco had on a white shirt with ruffles – I bet he _hated_ it – with a waistcoat and breeches of shades of tan.

Shaun hissed one last word and the shadows vanished. "What did you do?" asked Unique, panting.

"Don't get comfortable," said Shaun. "They'll be back. I only sent them back to the present. They'll only come back when my mom gives them new orders."

"We need to move then," said Jesse. Obviously, he trusted Shaun enough to believe him. I had to admit I did too.

"Now, if I can just repeat what Shaun said," I said aloud when my vision cleared and I was staring up at the ballroom ceiling again. It had been in English to my amazement – unlike the timeout portal spell Father Dom had used on me to stop Paul from changing the past. It was an old style of English though.

"Darkness abate…ummm…and return to thy origin," I mumbled. "Stay…Wait." What if this only works for the new "breed" of shifters? Then again, Paul said Della was just a mediator and she could control the shadow ghosts, so… "Darkness abate and return to thy origin. Pray thou shan't hunt again until safety is in my…no! Safety is in reach! Ah! Damn it! Darkness abate and return to thy origin. Pray thou shan't hunt again until safety is in reach. Be gone now."

For a moment nothing happened, then with a whoosh, the shadows were gone. They weren't going very far though – I mean, their master was in the same house instead of a different point in time – which meant I had to escape as quickly as possible.

Sneaking out one of the wide wooden doors, I crept into the hallway. No one was about, but I stepped as silently as possible anyway.

Was it just me, or was that shadow moving? I punched the wall to ward off the shadow ghost – only to feel pain shoot up my hand. AHHHHHHHH! No damn shadow ghost there after all. Bad idea. I'm getting paranoid. It was a good thing I didn't yell aloud though. I sidled down the hallway and out into the foyer.

Sitting on a circular ornate rug in the center of the floor, was the biggest Rottweiler I had ever seen. Crap.

The dog lifted its massive black hair with its tan making and stood up on long dark legs. As I backtracked slowly, the canine hurried up to me and stuck its nose in my stomach. Inhaling deeply, he peered at me with very brown eyes. He licked my fingers and let me cautiously run my hand through his short ebony fur.

What was up? I'd have thought any dog of a Slaters' would have been vicious. Unless… I reached down and grasped the Rottweiler's red collar. Written on the rectangular silver tag attached was:

"EMALEIGH"

SHAUN SLATER

215-444-6661

34 ALDER ST

CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA

CA

That explained it then. This was _Shaun's_ massive pooch.

"I have to go, Emaleigh," I said, patting the dog's head. "You be a good girl and stay quiet."

She probably missed Shaun I realized. The big eyes pleaded with me for a moment before I groaned and whispered, "Let's go, buddy." It was better to come with me than be forgotten by Della and Paul.

Grabbing a leash off a set of hooks by the front door, I fastened it to Emaleigh's collar and walked right out of the house. Sure, technically I was _stealing_ the dog, but I don't think Shaun would minded much.

I went to the first person I could think of – Father Dom. Emaleigh seems to think the walk a lot of fun, but I hated the four miles between the Mission and Paul's new house. I kept wondering if I would see Paul and Della coming up behind us in a sports car or if I was going to collapse.

We made it though. I stuck my head into the open rectory window and hissed, "Yo, Father Dom!"

One startled grunt later and I was sitting in Father Dominique's office, rubbing Emaleigh's head and neck. Father D was pacing his office, trying to absorb what I'd told him.

"Susannah," he said after awhile, "what are you going to do?"

"What do you think?" I grumbled. "I'm going to go to Colonial Boston and help my family."

"And you want to perform the time ritual again? How can that possibly work? You're not one of these new shifters," Father Dom said.

No, I wasn't, but I would have special help.

* * *

Pulling on the same long flowing blue and white gown I had worn when going back in time to Jesse's past, I hoped it could pass as a dress from Colonial times too. It had ruffles and was as abundant in petticoats as the dresses Carmenita and Rosie had been wearing, but perhaps a bit more modern.

In the church, I was standing in the same old chalk circle with the eye drawn in the center – with Father Dom reading from the ritual. It was very much like déjà vu really. If I could just make it to that "Timeout Tunnel" maybe Pase, the guardian of it, would hear me out.

That had to work. I had no other plans.

Father Dom's words were almost completely imperceptible to me with the howl of wind around me in the huge church. I wouldn't have been able to understand him anyway. The words weren't English or Spanish.

Sitting obediently at Father D's feet was the great dark Rottweiler. Emaleigh was letting out little barks in protest of the breeze whipping at her face.

And then, I was somewhere else entirely, soaring through a familiar tunnel of darkness with occasional streaks of lights. I landed on my feet this time, still in the dark.

With a flurry of pink sakura petals and an accompanying raven's squawk, the guardian appeared. Pasebakhaenniut – don't ask me to pronounce that – was adorned in her usual white with her long matching hair curling around her and her raven, Tahemet, sitting on her parasol.

"I know why you have returned, Susannah Simon," said Pase in that blank voice of hers.

I kind of figured she would know though. Now I just had to make sure she knew what I needed her to do…

"Well," I asked, "will you let me do some time-hopping?"

Cawing, Tahemet took flight and landed on my head. I tried to swat at her, only to feel my eyes go heavy and my body fall to the ground. Damn bird. What had she done to me?

* * *

The first thing I saw was a child's pale body clothed in peach cloth, shivering and whimpering. She was hiding underneath a bed, trying to quell her own fears. Prowling the perimeter of the bed was a shadow ghost.

I realized with sudden clarity that the little girl was Unique. Where were the others? WHERE WAS JESSE? He wouldn't leave Unique. None of them would.

Suddenly with a flash, I was in another room of what felt like the same shadowed house that Unique was hiding in. Curled up in a closet were Rosie and Shaun. Both were motionless. Rosie was biting her lip and squeezing Shaun's hand in a death grip.

I immediately realized they were scared too – just like Unique.

I was in a room across the hall then. Carmenita was hidden on her back in a bathtub behind a shower curtain, keeping her arms pressed against her chest and her eyes tightly shut.

Jesse and Jaco – I soon discovered – were whispering in the basement. "Why did we have to split up, Dad?" muttered Jaco, hiding under the stairs with Jesse.

"It will be harder to find us this way," Jesse noted. His eyes were trained upwards, waiting.

"But what about Unique? She was in her room when they came!" Jaco hissed urgently.

I could see Jesse grimace and let out a long pained breath. "Your _hermanita_ will be fine, Jacob. Just believe that. All the exits were cut off. We had to do it this way."

"I – " began Jaco before Jesse cut him off by covering the boy's mouth with his hand. Above them on the stairs, shadows lengthened and pooled into the basement.

* * *

I sat up in my real body with a start. Turning wild eyes on Pase and watching as Tahemet flew from my hair, I gasped, "I have to get to them! I can't let – "

"Hush," said Pase, holding up one hand – palm towards me. "There is nothing you can do there. That event passed by an hour ago without any of your involvement."

"_But I could go back farther in time and warn them!_" I hissed.

"No," Pase said. "That time is closed to intruders now. Your kin have been scattered."

Scattered? _What?_

"Only one of yours remains in that time," continued Pase. "The others have spread out in small groups through time."

"Then," I snapped, really irritated, "what should I _do_?"

"You must find the remaining one," Pase ordered. "He will be useful in discovering the others."

Why couldn't I just stop them from separating in the first place? These guardians think they know everything…

"Fine," I grumbled. "Just send me there. Do I get another one of those roses though?"

"Since you will traveling through more than one time, you must take this instead," said Pase.

Tahemet dropped a little gold chain on my lap. Strung through it was a tiny smooth red gem with a rose design somehow engraved inside of it. I slipped it over my head and tucked it under my dress.

Now that I was fashionable old-style and safer, it was time to get to work. As much as I like a bit of danger and adventure sometimes, I have to ask:

_What am I getting myself into?_

* * *

A/N: Well, this certainly took awhile. I had problems with it though, so I hope it turned out okay. Please review! Bye!


	10. Together

**Mediator Mom******

**By: ChocolateEclar**

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that has to do with the Mediator Series by Meg Cabot/Jenny Carroll, including Jesse (please?), Suze, Paul, Father D, CeeCee, Adam, etc.

Claimer: I fully own Shaun, Charisma, Carmen "Carmenita" De Silva, Rosalinda "Rosie" De Silva and her pets, Tobias "Toby" De Silva, Jacob "Jaco" De Silva and his dog Hiei, and Dominique "Unique" De Silva. I also own the plot. I may not own the fact that Jesse has five sisters (ages 6-16 when he died), but I do own who the five girls are – i.e. their personalities and names. In short, I also own Juanita "Nita" De Silva, Estefana De Silva, Felicidad "Felly" De Silva, Dolores "Dolly" De Silva, and most of all Carmen De Silva.

**To Sweetest Reject: **You're free to use Fred. _(laughs)_ Thanks for reviewing.

**To Pens in potatoes, Allimba, & doodilydoo: **Thanks for reviewing!

**To UnangelicHalo: **I didn't update while you were gone, so you haven't missed anything. _(laughs)_ Thanks for the review.

**To Gen. Kenobi:** Dorklove! _(laughs)_ Sorry I haven't updated in awhile. Billowy, ruffled shirt vs. sexy colonial waistcoat? Who would win? Hehe. Thanks for reviewing.

**To Clavel:** I didn't forget Toby this time! Yay! Well, I did last time. Good catch. Thanks for the review.

**To Sarah:** The mighty Chocolate... I like that. _(laughs)_ Cliffies are my…_thing_, if you will. I know readers hate them, but I love writing them and seeing people's reactions. Hehe. Thanks for reviewing!

**To JesseLover20:** Hmmm… Antonio... I'll think about it. I like that one… Thanks for the review and suggestion!

**To Lauren:** I don't want you to be sad and stuff. _(laughs)_ I've never been called Chocolate Lady before. I'm only 14. _(chuckles)_ Thanks for the review.

A/N: Sorry! Gomen! Lo siento! I'm just so sorry, guys. I had writers' block, and then school started, and then I had a blasted cold! I'm back though! I hope you like this chapter.

**Chapter 9: Together******

The house was very calm as I searched it. It was quaint, and, except for the upturned chairs and fallen shelves, it looked like no one had lived in it for quite some time. The mess was probably from the struggle with the shadow ghosts I realized. That worried me.

Pase told me one of them was left, but whom? And then, I heard it, the faint rustle in one of the rooms. I was out in a long hallway with my skirts brushing the floor. I lightly bumped the door inwards and poked my head inside.

Lying in wait on the floor just beyond the door was a wraithlike shadow. It leaped at me as I jumped backwards. I tripped on my dress and landed on my butt. Damn!

I reached behind me to get back to my feet – just as someone shouted, "Darkness abate and return to thy origin. Pray thou shan't hunt again until safety is in reach. _Be gone now!_"

I scrambled to get up as the shadow ghosts vanished. Panting slightly, Toby was standing to my right. He looked very much like Jesse there, but shorter and green-eyed.

"Hey, Mom," he said, looking slightly pained.

"Toby!" I hugged him. It was so good to know that I had at least found one of my family members. He was in a loose white shirt and breeches. It made him look older, and yet, by the vulnerable glint in his eyes, I knew he felt very small.

"What happened?" I asked.

"When were attacked, I was locked outside by the shadow ghosts," Toby began, running a hand through his hair.

"Why were you outside?" I queried.

Looking guilty, Toby admitted, "I was feeling claustrophobic."

"Oh," I mumbled. Duh. I should have known. Toby has been like that since he was little. He hates small spaces and being cooped up in a house for too long. At first, he would sneak outside through the backdoor until Jesse waited by the door for him to come inside one time – and naturally scared the heck out of Toby. After an explanation, we let Toby out freely.

"So, when you finally got inside…?" I sighed.

"Everyone was gone," finished Toby.

"C'mon," I said. "Let's eat and discuss what we have to do."

Toby nodded, mutely. I didn't blame him. I felt like curling up and crying for my family, but atleast we had each other.

* * *

There was a fresh loaf of bread on the table in the little kitchen that Toby explained Shaun had snitched. "It was for our good though," defended Toby. "We didn't have any money that would work here and…"

Nodding, I took the bread and tore it into two pieces. Heck, I was so hungry I didn't care where the food had come from. I handed Toby one piece as I paced the room. He wearily sat at the worn wooden table in the center of the room, while we both munched on the bread.

Jesse…

I winced and tried to put away the thought.

Where was he? Were any of the children with him? They had to be for him – just a mediator – to have gone through time, right?

"What are we going to do?" asked Toby, looking at the floor, when we were both finished eating.

"Well, we're going to have to see if you're like Unique and Shaun," I replied.

"A shifter?" Toby questioned skeptically.

"Yeah," I answered. "Do you remember what Shaun said to get you all here?"

"Oh yeah!" Toby exclaimed. "But I doubt I'm a shifter."

"Don't doubt. _Believe_," I said in a deep voice, laughing.

Toby, who knew that I was in no disposition for his moods at the moment, reluctantly stood up and recited, "Time hast cometh for change. Let the passage of time take us to a new place – "

"Wait!" I shouted. The sudden wind that had picked up in the room vanished instantly, setting down my hair. "We don't know where to even go to look for them."

"Oh," Toby mumbled sheepishly. "Well, maybe they left a clue."

That was why we spent the next two hours searching through the big house, seeking out some kind of indication of the whereabouts of any of the others. Finally, I found it in the basement in the form of a hurriedly written note…from _Jesse_.

_Susannah,_

_I have no doubt you will find this. Shaun Slater told me you were in good health and, as always, that means you will not be far behind us, querida. I believe Shaun, Rosalinda, and Carmenita are safe together in another time. As long as Carmenita can keep her thoughts about Shaun to herself that is. _

_I am with the younger two. Dominique is sending us to the royal palace in Ancient Egypt 2600 B.C. Apparently, she has been there several times before._

_My time writing this is over. Jacob, Dominique, and I send our love for you, querida._

_Love, _

_Jesse_

My heart, which had been feeling pained all along, now, felt like it would just stop beating. "Jesse…" I whispered.

"Mom, did you find…?" trailed off Toby at the look on my face. I must have seemed ready to cry to my chagrin, so Toby came closer and hugged me.

Letting a few stray tears fall, I handed Toby the letter written on a bit of old parchment. After awhile, he said, "They're safe then."

"Yeah," I agreed.

"Then, isn't that what counts? And now, we can find them," Toby said. His excitement was contagious.

"Let's go," I said with a smile.

"We won't really fit in Ancient Egypt with these clothes," he pointed out.

"We'll have to steal them like in those time travel movies," I laughed.

Laughing too, Toby grinned and began to chant again. "Time hast cometh for change. Let the passage of time take us to a new place in thy flow. _Bring us forth to Egypt in the year 2600 B.C!_"

That strange wind picked up around us as I grabbed Toby's hand. We had to stick together.

The last thing I heard before we were sailing through the tunnel was, "I really am a shifter! Cool!" Underneath it all, he's a typical teenage boy all right.

We went flying through that darkness. It was hard to tell the difference, but I knew something else was with us. Toby didn't seem to notice – too pleased that he had helped us.

But it was there. I realized what it was when it sprung onto our locked hands. It was inky black and strong in the colored glow of the walls of the tunnel

"Get off of me!" snapped Toby.

"_Just don't let go!_" I hollered. Damn shadow ghosts. I just want my family back, you freaks!

"Darkness abate and return to – " began Toby before the shadows reared up and clamped over his mouth. "Mmph!" Toby yelped, struggling.

"Darkness abate and return to thy origin," I whispered hurriedly. The shadows couldn't hear me. Good. "Pray thou shan't hunt again until safety is in reach. _Be gone now!_"

The ghosts vanished in a swirl of shadows, and Toby panted, trying to regain his breath. "Thanks…" he gasped.

I nodded as the tunnel began to end. We were flung out of it and into a stone corridor. I could hear the distant clump of footsteps around the corner.

"Someone's coming," muttered Toby. We both scrambled behind a pillar as a boy of around ten-years-old appeared, carrying a small torch. He had long, black hair and sun-darkened skin. He passed us by without seeing us and went down the hallway. When he was out of sight, we began to follow him on tiptoe. I had to bunch up my stupid skirts in my fists to keep them from rustling on the stone floor, while Toby nervously trailed behind me.

We both peeked around a corner and found ourselves in a bizarre, glittering room. It was huge and held up by stone pillars embellished in little winking jewels along the top and bottom. Candles on tall metal bases lined the walls, bathing the room in a warm glow. It was pretty really. What really had my attention though was Unique.

She was talking to the boy. What was odd was they both were robed in a beige material with gold bands on their feet and wrists.

"_You don't understand!_" hissed the boy. It surprised me he was speaking English really. I don't know how I knew, but it seemed like he usually spoke in a language very different. He had very brown eyes that pleaded with Unique.

"_What don't I understand?_" Unique snapped back. "_I can take you back to the present with us when this is all over!_"

"_No!_" riposted the boy. "I don't have the Time Ruler's token anymore! I can't go back without getting killed!"

"No, you won't! I know how to take you back! You'll die if you _stay_!" Unique growled. What the heck were they arguing about? The candles along the walls flickered then, simultaneously.

"You must go back!" the boy whispered sharply, grabbing Unique's wrist. It wasn't the broken one – which was bandaged up in tight brown cloth. The ring around her good wrist was loose and jingled at the sudden movement. "They're coming for you and your father and brother! They want you back in your time so you don't meddle in others and stop their pursuit of your family."

"No, I can't leave. I –"And then, Unique's eyes became very large. Shadows were stalking towards them. Long and menacing, they ran across the floor with seemingly nothing leading them. I could see them glide towards Unique's own shadow.

The boy grabbed a chain at Unique's neck that I hadn't noticed tucked in her dress and whispered, "Go with your family. The shadows' master knows you're here. When you return to the present, give that to my mother." Attached to the chain was a set of silver dog tags. What the heck was going on? Who was this kid?

It was then that the shadows latched onto both kids' ankles. "_Ah!_" screamed Unique. I knew I had to act then. "Darkness abate and return to thy origin," I yelled. "Pray thou shan't hunt again until safety is in reach. _Be gone now!_"

Unique and the boy fell to their feet as Toby and I rushed to them. "_Mamá!_" shrieked Unique, clambering to her bare feet. "_Toby!_"

The boy stood up slowly, as if not sure if we were to be trusted. I couldn't blame him.

"You came! Papá said you would, _and he was right!_" Unique exclaimed, bouncing up and down.

"Where are your papa and Jaco anyway?" I asked as Unique went to hug Toby too.

"I had to hide them in my room," Unique explained. "They'd be killed otherwise for being in the palace. I've been here enough times that I'm considered an orphan that works here."

"I need to see them," I insisted.

Nodding, Unique took my hand. "C'mon. It's not too far. Oh! And this is Con," she added, indicating the boy.

"Con?" asked Toby.

"Short for Constant normally," replied the boy. "But here it's short for Kontar, means "only son." I picked it as a joke before I was stuck here."

Stuck here? Then…Where was this kid from? He seemed to know quite a bit about the shadow ghosts and us.

"Con is a shifter too. He's been stuck in this time for six months because he lost his pendant from Pase," sighed Unique in response to Toby and my puzzled faces.

"More like it was stolen, and by the guards here!" grumbled Con.

"I told you we'll help you!" hissed Unique as if she had done that a hundred times. She probably had, knowing the many times she had disappeared. "Now, let's go see Papá and Jaco," she added, turning away from Con.

Con made a face and said, "Don't worry about me. Later!"

He certainly sounded like someone from the present. The six months had darkened his skin a lot if the way his bare feet were crisscrossed with sandal lines was any indication. He had probably been a very pale, shy boy back home. Now, he was very dark and longhaired.

I had other things to think about right then though.

Like Jesse and Jaco.

_**I HAD TO SEE JESSE!**_

* * *

A/N: Once again, sorry! I don't know if I like this chapter that much, but I left you guys hanging long enough, so here it is… PLEASE REVIEW! 


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